The Montreal Canadiens have got an abundance of riches when it comes to left-shot blueliners but it’s far from being the case in the right-shot rearguards department. Kaiden Guhle has recently been put back on his natural side, forcing Mike Matheson to transition to his off side. Righty David Savard is not getting any younger and is on an expiring deal while youngster Justin Barron has yet to reach the potential GM Kent Hughes saw in him when he acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche.
Of course, the Canadiens have got right-shot defensemen in the system, Logan Mailloux is with the Laval Rocket, but he’s not completely ready for the NHL yet. 2023 fifth overall pick David Reinbacher suffered a major knee injury this pre-season and underwent surgery which was meant to keep him out of action for five to six months, meaning he could return at the end of February or March. When he does return though, he won’t have made much progress development wise.
Hughes was said to be looking for some top-four help on the blueline not so long ago, could Columbus Blue Jackets castaway David Jiricek fit the bill? The Ohio outfit drafted him sixth overall at the 2022 draft in Montreal when the Habs grabbed Juraj Slafkovsky first overall.
Since then, Jiricek has skated in 53 NHL games putting up 11 points in the process. The 6-foot-4 defenseman weights in at 204 pounds and has strong skating ability. In 2022, scouting reports had him down as an offensively gifted defenseman who was able to carry the puck in the neutral zone and create effective zone entries. He was also said to have the poise necessary to control the puck at the blueline and possess good slapshot and one-timer. He was also said to have a strong defensive game and to project as a potential first pairing defensemen.
Related: Canadiens’ Hughes Making Calls Looking For Solutions
Two years and a few months later though, new Columbus GM Don Waddle is said to be shopping Jiricek. He wasn’t at the helm when the Czechia native was selected and isn’t as attached to him as former GM Jarmo Kekalainen was said to be.
So far, Jiricek has showed he could be productive in the AHL, but he has struggled in the NHL. With the Cleveland Monsters, he has put up 57 points in 84 games, but the step up to the NHL has been to high for him so far.
Could the Canadiens be interested in another project? Perhaps, but only if the price is right. There is no way Hughes will be selling the farm for another project. The organization is definitely higher on Mailloux and Reinbacher than it would be on Jiricek. If the price is reasonable though, it could be an interesting gamble.
What’s a reasonable price? A prospect who has yet to make his mark in the NHL but has showed good flashes in the AHL. Barron could be an intriguing idea, but some would say that would be trading four twenty-five pieces for a dollar. I know, there’s been no chatter about the Canadiens’ biting on Jiricek, but more often than not, when the Habs make a deal, nobody has seen it coming.
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